Action/Réaction

Daniel Scheidt - Action/Réaction

A number of factors combine to influence the nature of the work represented by this disc. An interest in process, a respect for improvisation, and a fascination with systems realized in software have led me to the development of computer programs designed to interact with performers in real time.
Each piece presented here involves an instrumental soloist performing with an interactive computer system. The software that defines each composition is designed to accept acoustic input from the performer and produce electronic responses. The compositions included in this collection evolved during extensive rehearsals with the individual musicians and would not exist without their contributions. Each recording represents the documentation of a studio "performance" - there has been very little studio editing.
The improvisational nature of the performer's role is an important aspect of this music. In making the decision to allow the performer to improvise, I have relinquished aspects of compositional control in exchange for a more personal contribution by each musician. An improvising performer works within his or her own set of skills and abilities (rather than those defined by a score), and is able to offer the best of his or her musicianship. Once having become familiar with a system's behavior, the performer is free to investigate its musical capabilities from a uniquely personal perspective.
Another feature of this work is the performer's relationship to the musical feedback loop created in conjunction with the computer. The performer provides source material used by the computer system, while at the same time responding to the system's ongoing audio output. Any gesture made by the performer in response to the computer immediately becomes new source material for the computer to use and can influence subsequent output. One performer has referred to this model as an "idea expander".
Part of my attraction to this work is an interest in software as a compositional medium. Working with software offers extreme flexibility while at the same time requiring the articulation of creative intent in precise and unambiguous terms. The ability to develop, test, revise, and extend a computer program makes software a remarkably malleable medium for experimental artistic creation.
I find the design of compositional structures intended for interactive exploration during performance to be an extremely intriguing approach to music making - one in which I am able (perhaps forced) to investigate new relationships between composition and performance. (Daniel Scheidt, January 1991)

Tracklisting:

1. Obeying the Laws of Physics {16:20}
(1987) for electronic percussion and interactive software; Trevor Tureski - percussion

2. A Digital Eclogue {12:47}
(1986) for clarinet, bass clarinet and interactive software; Claude Schryer - clarinet, bass clarinet

3. Stories Told {12:30}
(1989) for soprano and interactive software; Robin Dawes - text; Catherine Lewis - soprano

4. Norm 'n George {20:17}
(1990) for trombone and interactive software; George Lewis - trombone

5. Squeeze {10:50}
(1990) for bass clarinet and interactive software; Lori Freedman - bass clarinet

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